Wilson Alexia 1, DAW or Yvette

[Ron Resnick]

The Alexia is only 12 inches taller. I cannot imagine why one would work but not the other.

What is driving your concern?

 

[Ron Resnick]

I fell in love with them and then toured EW and met the owner and heard their flagship Ivy Signature SEs in his office.

They simply did not work...so bummed. . . . they were too bright.

Do you think the factory listening room was heavily damped acoustically, and that perhaps this masked the brightness of the speaker?

 

[Midtown71]

Do you think the factory listening room was heavily damped acoustically, and that perhaps this masked the brightness of the speaker?

I really don't recall. It was a very large room and an office as well. It very well could have been. Seems my estimates of the used market value of Alexia 1 vs 2 were a bit off earlier lol. The 2s seem to be more in the $40k range which makes more sense based on their retail price.

 

[Dishman442]

It’s a K-01xd which coincidentally arrived on Tuesday 7th December.
Speakers due by end of year…

I just purchased store demo DAWs but haven’t received them yet. What was your experience with the DAWs?

 

[Another Johnson]

I just purchased store demo DAWs but haven’t received them yet. What was your experience with the DAWs?

As Ron pointed out when this thread was relatively current, all three of the subject speakers would work in a room where any one of them would work.

I’ve lived with DAWs for over a year now. I auditioned the Alexia 2s before my purchase and I owned Sabrinas before the DAWs.

Today the question might be Sasha DAWs, Sasha Vs, or Alexia Vs.

The Yvettes don’t have the time alignment capability to match the seating position. The Sasha’s have one adjustable box. The Alexias have two.

The budget differences are not trivial. Sasha Vs vs Alexia Vs is maybe $17k (I may not have current pricing). Sasha DAWs (factory certified previously owned) vs Sasha Vs difference is maybe $19k.

I have extensively auditioned the Alexia Vs and Sasha Vs. If money were no object, I’d go for the Alexia Vs. But for less than half the price, the DAWs deliver more bang for the buck. My system is well tuned for the DAWs. I have no incentive to go for either of the Vs.

If I were to upgrade, I’d jump up to the next level (Alexx V). But that’s a six figure jump. Realistically, the DAWs suit me. There are no weaknesses that gnaw at me when listening. I love them.

FWIW, I did get the acoustic diode feet last Fall. They were an upgrade, but not a game changer.

FWIW #2, the DAWs share midrange and tweeter with the Master Chronosonic. The Sasha Vs share midrange and tweeter with the Chronosonic XVX. That may be the biggest difference. Neither pedigree is a poor one.

I’d happily choose the DAWs again.

 

[rangda]

Realistically, the DAWs suit me. There are no weaknesses that gnaw at me when listening. I love them.

I went through this same process and ended up with CPO Alexia 2's. I did manage to hear the DAW's and the Alexia 2's in the same room back to back. The two speakers are very close except for the a few differences.

The midrange on the DAW was a tiny smidge better integrated. This might well have been a driver alignment issue, the speakers were not setup for my listening height. When I mentioned this to the dealer he felt that it was the opposite, because of the ability to align the midrange and tweeter separately on the Alexia. So YMMV.

Considerably more bass from the Alexia. Depending on your room this might not be a pro (as it turns out it is in mine).

Soundstage size is larger on the Alexia, especially the height. The Alexia's start to give the presentation of the larger Wilsons and that was what sealed the deal for me; once I heard that I knew I would not be satisfied with the DAW. Soundstage size is one of those things that really pushes my buttons.

Had I not heard the Alexia's I would have been perfectly happy with the DAW's. Both were a huge upgrade from my 24 year old Watt/Puppy 6's.

I agree with you that the next upgrade from here would be an Alexx of some form, but that is probably financially out of reach as it's a huge jump.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I d go for a Wilson sasha DAW if i would ever buy a wilson .
The most coherent speaker of the company line up imo.
Or go for previous versions which you can affiord.

The Kharma exquisite line is great but more $$

 

[rangda]

The Kharma exquisite line is great but more $$

This is the problem with a lot of competing speakers. Wilson manages to cover a lot of price points by offering prior models as CPO. If you don't like the Wilson sound/presentation it won't matter but if you do then a lot of competing speakers become not so competing when compared to a prior generation Wilson offered CPO at 40% off it's original retail.

 

[Axel C]

I went through this same process and ended up with CPO Alexia 2's. I did manage to hear the DAW's and the Alexia 2's in the same room back to back. The two speakers are very close except for the a few differences.

The midrange on the DAW was a tiny smidge better integrated. This might well have been a driver alignment issue, the speakers were not setup for my listening height. When I mentioned this to the dealer he felt that it was the opposite, because of the ability to align the midrange and tweeter separately on the Alexia. So YMMV.

Considerably more bass from the Alexia. Depending on your room this might not be a pro (as it turns out it is in mine).

Soundstage size is larger on the Alexia, especially the height. The Alexia's start to give the presentation of the larger Wilsons and that was what sealed the deal for me; once I heard that I knew I would not be satisfied with the DAW. Soundstage size is one of those things that really pushes my buttons.

Had I not heard the Alexia's I would have been perfectly happy with the DAW's. Both were a huge upgrade from my 24 year old Watt/Puppy 6's.

I agree with you that the next upgrade from here would be an Alexx of some form, but that is probably financially out of reach as it's a huge jump.

I had the exact same comparison between DAW & Alexia 2, and the same conclusion. The Alexia has a substantially bigger soundstage and bass. I have a 21 x 21’ room with a 24’ ceiling and the Alexias are terrific. I previously had WP6 & 7 which remain impressive for their size and age but the A2 as expected is a big improvement in all areas.

 

[Another Johnson]

I had the exact same comparison between DAW & Alexia 2, and the same conclusion. The Alexia has a substantially bigger soundstage and bass. I have a 21 x 21’ room with a 24’ ceiling and the Alexias are terrific. I previously had WP6 & 7 which remain impressive for their size and age but the A2 as expected is a big improvement in all areas.

None of these comparisons mean anything, including mine, until you also match amps, loom and room … ESPECIALLY the bass and the size of the soundstage.

I’ve actually known serious audiophiles who traded their Alexia 2s for DAWs and shed no tears until the Alexia V was launched.

All the Wilson stuff sounds special in my opinion … but it still benefits from thoughtful choice of electronics, loom, and room. And in my case, for both Sabrinas and DAWs, it took a few days for the crossover caps to break in, after which they really blossomed.

 

[rangda]

None of these comparisons mean anything, including mine, until you also match amps, loom and room … ESPECIALLY the bass and the size of the soundstage.

In my case it was same dealer, same room, same system, one after the other. Unplug Alexia 2's , plug in DAW's, listen. I had about a 5 minute gap between.

 

[Dishman442]

As Ron pointed out when this thread was relatively current, all three of the subject speakers would work in a room where any one of them would work.

I’ve lived with DAWs for over a year now. I auditioned the Alexia 2s before my purchase and I owned Sabrinas before the DAWs.

Today the question might be Sasha DAWs, Sasha Vs, or Alexia Vs.

The Yvettes don’t have the time alignment capability to match the seating position. The Sasha’s have one adjustable box. The Alexias have two.

The budget differences are not trivial. Sasha Vs vs Alexia Vs is maybe $17k (I may not have current pricing). Sasha DAWs (factory certified previously owned) vs Sasha Vs difference is maybe $19k.

I have extensively auditioned the Alexia Vs and Sasha Vs. If money were no object, I’d go for the Alexia Vs. But for less than half the price, the DAWs deliver more bang for the buck. My system is well tuned for the DAWs. I have no incentive to go for either of the Vs.

If I were to upgrade, I’d jump up to the next level (Alexx V). But that’s a six figure jump. Realistically, the DAWs suit me. There are no weaknesses that gnaw at me when listening. I love them.

FWIW, I did get the acoustic diode feet last Fall. They were an upgrade, but not a game changer.

FWIW #2, the DAWs share midrange and tweeter with the Master Chronosonic. The Sasha Vs share midrange and tweeter with the Chronosonic XVX. That may be the biggest difference. Neither pedigree is a poor one.

I’d happily choose the DAWs again.

Thanks for your response! Re the acoustic diodes, I saw some used for sale recently. The Wilson models listed as compatible did not include the DAWs. No problems with yours?

 

[Another Johnson]

In my case it was same dealer, same room, same system, one after the other. Unplug Alexia 2's , plug in DAW's, listen. I had about a 5 minute gap between.

I listened for hours on multiple days at the same dealer, in the same room. It doesn’t prove anything.

Did you buy the dealers amps, loom and room?

The only audition that matters is the one in your system.

it’s good that you like your speakers. They’re very nice. But so are the others being considered. It’s good to have choices.

FWIW, these are turning up on the CPO market. I’ve seen several pair.

Wilson Audio Certified Authentic Alexx Speakers | Paragon SNS

Looking for Alexx speakers? Paragon Sight & Sound carries the best pre-owned & factory recertified products. Shop now before this special item is gone.

www.paragonsns.com

If you are looking for more bass and bigger soundstage, these would crush the Alexia 2 for less cash outlay than the Alexia 2’s exit msrp. And a pair of MAXX 3s have traded for less than the price of CPO DAWs.

Bigger is “bigger,” not necessarily better. The taste in driver spectral performance will be the distinguishing factor between Alexia 2 and later models for many. Some do not want a bigger sound stage of less well articulated instruments. And this is tied to the electronics, loom and room again.

I do think that one size does not “fit all.” I strongly encourage everyone to pick what sounds best to them that’s within their budget.

 

[Another Johnson]

Thanks for your response! Re the acoustic diodes, I saw some used for sale recently. The Wilson models listed as compatible did not include the DAWs. No problems with yours?

Compatible? Or included. The DAWs did not come with the Wilson Acoustic Diodes as stock, but they are definitely compatible.

 

[Another Johnson]

Thanks for your response! Re the acoustic diodes, I saw some used for sale recently. The Wilson models listed as compatible did not include the DAWs. No problems with yours?

Here’s the link

Wilson Audio | Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode

The size for the DAWs is 1/2-13